Donald Trump may be the only world leader who can stir up a global frenzy with just a meme—and that’s exactly what he did Friday. With a single AI-generated image showing himself dressed as the pope, Trump ignited another cultural firestorm, riling up progressives and amusing his base in equal measure.

The photo, posted to Truth Social, comes just days after Trump attended Pope Francis’ funeral in Rome. As the Vatican begins its search for a new pontiff, Trump jokingly threw his name into the ring—digitally, at least. The caption? Just enough to get the internet buzzing without needing to explain a thing.

The result: a full-scale social media eruption. While supporters laughed off the image as classic Trump humor, critics—many of them self-described progressives or atheists—called the meme offensive and “blasphemous.”

Townhall columnist Dustan Grage brushed off the backlash. “Memes depicting Trump as Christ have been and always will be called out as blasphemy. The Pope picture is actually funny. Calm down, folks,” he wrote. Grage noted that most of the outrage was coming from people who don’t actually believe in the religion they claimed to be defending.

As with so many Trump moments, the reactions were divided sharply along partisan lines. Trump allies applauded the post as just another example of the president’s unmatched trolling ability—one that plays perfectly to his online base and leaves the left flustered. Detractors, meanwhile, flooded social media with angry screeds, with some even demanding the image be removed.

One of the loudest voices of dissent came from left-wing activist Harry Sisson, who fumed that Trump was “mocking religion” and “abusing his platform.” But former Clinton accuser and conservative commentator Juanita Broaddrick chimed in to remind critics of Trump’s actual record with Catholics, contrasting his humor with his policies.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the president’s intentions, saying, “President Trump flew to Italy to pay his respects for Pope Francis and attend his funeral, and he has been a staunch champion for Catholics and religious liberty.” Leavitt dismissed the idea that Trump’s meme indicated disrespect, calling it a lighthearted post from a leader with a strong history of defending faith-based communities.

Earlier in the week, Trump had jokingly told reporters that if he had his pick, he’d like to be pope—but quickly clarified it was a joke and went on to suggest New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan as a possible successor to Pope Francis. Trump, who was raised Presbyterian, has since described himself as a nondenominational Christian and has long embraced public displays of faith.

To Trump fans, this kind of viral chaos is precisely what sets him apart. Whether it’s a policy decision or a meme, the former president has a unique ability to dominate the news cycle—often using humor to expose double standards and push his opponents into self-defeating outrage.

This isn’t the first time Trump has posted AI-generated images of himself, and it likely won’t be the last. But this one—a digital rendering of Trump in flowing papal robes, holding a staff, and standing on Vatican marble—might go down as one of his most absurd and effective provocations yet.

It may be satire. It may be trolling. But it’s unmistakably Trump.

And in today’s media landscape, that still means one thing: he’s in control of the conversation.